A pair of brothers have been left rattled after a snake took a bite out of their football.

George, 16, and Harry Massey, 13, had a kick-around in the field at the Fermain Youth Centre on Oxford Road.

When Harry’s attempt at goal landed off the pitch in the long grass, George ran to get it. When he found the ball, he was shocked to see a snake slithering away from the punctured ball, which the brothers think had been bitten by the creature. George said he thinks the snake was an adder.

He said: “It was about two and a half foot and green. I just froze, I didn’t know what to do. It left a hole in our ball and it’s ruined.”

The snake was spotted around midday on Monday. The boys’ mum Sally Horrocks, of Westbury Drive, wants to warn parents.

She said: “It’s school holidays, but there could have been more children around and the snake could have bitten a leg or hand.”

Kevin Bradburne, Fermain centre manager, said a staff member checked the area but couldn’t see a snake.

He said: “We’ve not heard of this before but the safety of the children is paramount and we’ll keep an eye out.”